1.7 million in rural communities to gain access to safe water

1.7 million people in 8 provinces in the Red River Delta will gain access to safe water and 650,000 people will receive improved sanitation after the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved November 1 a US$ 200 million IDA credit to fund the ongoing the government’s National Target Program (NTP) for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation.

Access to sustainable water supply and sanitation services in rural areas of Vietnam is low, and water quality is a problem in the Red River Delta region.

Improved sanitation and better access to safe water brings important health benefits as well. In addition, the program will support the strengthening of institutional systems, improve sector planning, and monitoring and evaluation in participating provinces.

For the first time in the country, the State Audit of Vietnam will carry out independent verification of Program results.

The program will strengthen governance systems for results-based service delivery as well as gender-based monitoring and reporting, two key components of the World Bank Vietnam Country Partnership Strategy 2012 – 2016.

The World Bank’s new financing instrument called the Program for Results or PforR links disbursements of funds directly to the delivery of verifiable results. This program is the first PforR to be approved by the Bank in the East Asia and Pacific region and the first in the rural water supply and sanitation sector.